Professional sports is a lucrative career — if you can develop the skills to make it to the top of your preferred game, that is — and Major League Soccer is no exception.
While the average MLS salary might not be able to hold a candle to the eye-popping, multi-million-dollar contracts that NFL and NBA players typically rake it, North American footballers are still paid well for their talent on the pitch.
So, what does the average MLSer make, and which clubs have the highest (and lowest) average salaries? Let’s take a look.
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Average MLS Player Salary in 2025
During the last MLS season, the average player will earn about $594,000. That’s 12% more than the average in 2023.
While that’s the average, some MLSers make far, far more than that. Take Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, the highest paid player in the league. He rakes in a whopping $20.4 million per season. That exceeds the total payrolls of nearly two-thirds of the other MLS clubs.
Which MLS Teams Have the Highest Average Payroll?
Some clubs also pay more than others, bringing in top talent with lucrative contracts.
Inter Miami, a relative newcomer to the MLS owned in part by U.K. soccer legend David Beckham, has the highest average salary at $1.2 million — a figure likely driven up my Messi’s presence on the roster.
Toronto FC ($1M) and LA Galaxy ($813,000), last year’s champs and the team with the most MLS titles under their belt, have the second and third highest average MLS payrolls.
Which MLS Teams Have the Lowest Average Payroll?
What about the teams that shell out the least to their rostered players?
That honor goes to CF Montreal, where the average salary is well below the league average at just $368,000. Real Salt Lake ($391,000) and Philadelphia Union ($418,000) round out the bottom of the list.
MLS Team Payrolls
In case you’re curious, here’s the complete list of MLS team payrolls and average salaries for 2024, ranked highest to lowest.
Of note: San Diego FC, the MLS’s newest team, is missing from this list. That’s because the most up to date salary figures for the current season haven’t been released yet.
| Team | Total Payroll | Average Salary |
| Inter Miami | 41.7M | 1.2M |
| Toronto FC | 31.8M | 1.0M |
| LA Galaxy | 22.0M | 813.4K |
| Nashville SC | 21.9M | 728.8K |
| LAFC | 22.1M | 669.3K |
| Austin FC | 17.6M | 651.7K |
| Portland Timbers | 15.4M | 642.0K |
| Houston Dynamo | 20.5M | 641.1K |
| FC Cincinnati | 21.0M | 634.8K |
| Columbus Crew | 16.6M | 614.3K |
| Sporting Kansas City | 16.3M | 604.2K |
| New York Red Bulls | 18.1M | 602.8K |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 17.4M | 600.5K |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 16.7M | 595.7K |
| New England Revolution | 18.9M | 590.1K |
| DC United | 16.5M | 588.9K |
| Chicago Fire | 17.2M | 555.6K |
| Orlando City SC | 17.5M | 530.1K |
| Atlanta United | 15.2M | 525.2K |
| Colorado Rapids | 14.4M | 515.6K |
| New York City FC | 16.2M | 507.6K |
| St. Louis City SC | 15.5M | 483.9K |
| FC Dallas | 17.2M | 477.4K |
| Charlotte FC | 15.5M | 455.1K |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 14.6M | 443.5K |
| Minnesota United | 14.8M | 434.4K |
| Philadelphia Union | 13.8M | 418.6K |
| Real Salt Lake | 16.1M | 391.9K |
| CF Montreal | 11.4M | 369.0K |
Watch MLS Soccer on DIRECTV
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which team has the highest average payroll in the MLS?
Inter Miami has the highest average pay at $1.2 million.
Which team has the highest overall payroll in the MLS?
Inter Miami again, with a $41.7 million total payroll.
Which team has the lowest average pay in the MLS?
CF Montreal, with an average salary of just $369,000.
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